I started thinking …well started a while back to think about Facebook…

Why we use it and how we’ve acted when we’ve used it and what it’s main aims are..

Not the aims they tell us but the aims they DO NOT tell us…

At one point in time everyone who has made a profile page on Facebook HAS become addicted.

I use the term lightly but heavily at the same time and I’ll list some examples so you can decide whether you’ve fallen into some of these categories..

1:Log on first thing in the morning to check if anyones messaged you added you, tagged you in a pciture or commented on your wall.

2:Stay logged on wherever you go (especially on your phone) ..just incase of the above. Getting Facebook app on your phone, so you can take Facebook with you wherever you go.

3:Supossed to do an assignment but you check your Facebook first just to be ‘socially up to date’ whatever that means on the INTERNET<!.

4: Nothing is actually going on on your Facebook page/profile so you scroll through your home page to see what your ‘friends‘ are up tolike a nosey neighbour, instead of just logging off and getting on with something more important.

5:Appearing online, because there is that possibility that someone out of your very few or very many friends, may want to talk to you even after hours of being online and noone has started a conversation..*sad face*.

6:You’re always quick to reply a message or status update or comment on a picture and are usually the first to reply !

7: Everywhere you go and in everything you do Facebook is on your toungue.
Its the first and the last thing you speak about, whether it be about who was doing what, who said what, or what you may have sussed out by snoopingon so so and so’s page..

8:You’re always logged on at early hours of the morning Ie: 4am, randomly updating your status every second on stupid things like , “I just walked in and I’m hungry” and “Just putting the toilet seat down“

9: Buying gifts on Facebook when its a friends birthday!!!! like why on earth are you spending money virtually on nothings? You’re paying Facebook to give you gifts you can see and not touch?? Like fake shopping or window shopping if you like except you’ve given them REAL money and got nothing tangible in return…?!< yeah I know! maddd?

Ask youself why you have an account with Facebook and why they are dealing with your money….

THEN..

The strange stalkerish feeling that overcomes you, that you tend to excuse for CHECKING UP ON‘friends’…

FACEBOOK STALKING

Examples of Facebook Stalking and Facebook Stalkers:

a: You’re on your home page , you click on a friends name and scroll through their page, then to their pictures and go through every album, (you are alone at home).

b:That guy/girl you take a fancy to… you add them, even though you don’t actually talk to them in real life/reality, from there on you begin aimlessly parolling their profile page and checking to see who writes on it, what kind of things they say on their Status updates and what they get up to in their pics.

c: You comment on your friend’s (or usually your new friend or someone you haven’t written to or tagged or pokedin a while) 75th profile picture, this is clear evidence that you have been ‘flicking’ through their pics silently but was urged to click ‘Like’ and then got caught out that you were indeed picture stalking!

d: You’re having a wall to wall with your friend (John Smith>Rachel Brown Hey Rach! Remember yesterday at the pub!! Loving the sun! Good old British weather!)and LOW AND BEHOLDits long lost Tim from 9 months back who added you and never really spoke to you. Wait… now he’s commenting freely and comfortably on your wall post (Tim Brown-Noser: “Yeah, John! Great weather yesterday, man! Roll on the summer!! Woo!”).

Ok… nothing wrong with that he’s just being friendly. Of course, without a doubt, throughout the day Tim imposes himself on every detail of your Facebook life; commenting on every unsuspecting facebook status, relationship status, profile photo and the list goes on…

e. You delete someone off Facebook (usually someone that you don’t really know or don’t really have a tangible facebook friendship with) but they constantly add you back after you repetitively ignore their frequent friend requests. This clearly shows that they are persistently checking up on your activites on Facebook .These people have forgotten the actual meaning of ‘checking up’on someone they forget it comes with a conversation, a message, or maybe a phone text! *rolls eyes* When did checking up just mean making sure your on their Facebook friends list? Like a minder who doesn’t take care of the kids but calls watching Tv,whilst making sure they are in visual distance, minding?!

COERCIVE PERSUASION/ENCOURAGED GROUP THINKING.

Definition: Coercive persuasion comprises social influences capable of producing substantial behavior, attitude and ideology change through the use of coercive tactics and persuasion, via interpersonal and group-based influences.

The ‘Like’ emoticon: I don’t know if you’ve noticed the little adverts/ notifications usually situated on the left hand side of the home pagethat have ‘Like’ emoticons that seem to entice you into clicking by telling you that ’14 of your friends also Like’ this random music genre/film/group/celebrity… an then your overcome by defensive thoughts like “I don’t care if so an so likes it doesn’t mean I have to!” and ” Why is Facebook trying to make me like it just because my friends do?” and “what the hell? Whats Facebook up to?” ..then you click it anyway loooooooool! We’ve all been there!

Event attendance/Group joining: Then like the above there’s the event and group suggestions that remind you that a few of your friends are attending or like that certain group as if to say, if they reminded you that you may just like it too… accidentally forgetting that every individual has a mind of their own and can make choices on their own…and not everyone is a follower…<<

Friends suggestions: Like one of those annoying mothers, aunties, fathers and uncles, who think they know what your friends are thinking and they know what is best in a generation wayyy away from their own :S , Facebook has begun to ‘ENCORAGE’ people to add people as so called ‘friends‘ even though they don’t know them or wouldn’t ever do so in reality. Then the cheekiest part of it is that your reminded that ‘YOU MAY KNOW THEM’..The thing I wonder and think to myself is that if I really wanted to find them I’m sure I’d just type them in the search box. If I really wanted to communicate with them I’d ring them, text them and if I have no credit, then I may result in typing their name in THEN add them to my actual friends list which I’m hoping is full of people I actually know/have met, and not some random stalker, peodophile or murderer, hiding behind a pic of a celebrity or event flyer…

Unrequested opinion/comment: I don’t know if you have noticed the little unnotified changes on your Facebookpage, such as the new openess to COMMENT and LIKE a wall post, that had absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, neither at any point were you invited into the conversation, but the new ‘Comment‘ space left open to you with your picture beside it, just seemed to entice you and draw you into voiceing your unnessacary uncalled for opinion…

We wouldn’t do this on a train/bus/at work? We wouldn’t usually get involved with someones conversation without permission?

Again…we’ve all been there its the comfortability Facebook offers us to become THE Facebook patrollers and CCTV of our friends and their friends’ buisness.

……CONDITIONED WAY OF LIFE……

FACEBOOK THE AGONY AUNT/PSYCHOANALYST.

Since when did Facebook the internet site become an emotional being with feelings and questions about feelings,causing the emotionally enclined to express without ‘pressure’….

Person 2 Angry: ” Thanks all my haters, thanks for being my haters you make my life feel so good and I’m becoming even more better with you, Keep hating Mother F******!!!“

(You make me CRY AT NIGHT but I’ll ACT like you dont so you’ll feel to dumb to continue , you TEAR UP my self esteem)

Person 3 Ignorant:” OMG I’m in love with overseas countries..the shopping is amazing , but I prefer London to United kingdom “

(I have NEVER been out of the country LET ALONE overseas, but I steal pics from google to make it LOOK LIKE I’ve been places I KNOW NOTHING about, I have to KEEP UP this glamorous FACADE)

Person 4 Cyberthug : ” If my name comes out of anyones mouth I will personally FORCEFULLY introduce you to my FIST bravvv, that’ll be your new friend from now truuusss, so I dare you to keep talking ..DUN KNOW “

(If i ACT tough on Facebook HOPEFULLY it’ll DETER people from ACTUALLY APPROACHING ME in reality)

Person 5 Pretender/Profile pic/ updater: ” We had a fabulous time at the ritz this weekend !! OMG those HOT guys don’t even ask LMAO!”

(Everyone SEEMS TO have had a blast this weekend, well their PROFILE PICS say so, maybe if I UPDATE these pics I FOUND ON GOOGLE of the Ritz hotel, so THEY WONT KNOW I was cuddling up on my sofa ALONE with Pot Noodle and Britains Got Talent.)

Person6 : Apparent Facebook devout religious person: ” God is Good if you believe this and you’re not ashamed to say, post this on wall and God’ll bless you!!!“

(As far as people on my Facebook know I’m a DEVOUT RELIGIOUS FOLLOWER, well apart from that MURDER LAST WEEK..the ACCIDENTAL ARMED BANK ROBBERY and the three pidgeons I SHOT OFF my balcony a few minutes back! Hmmm well I’m safe behind Facebook aye!)

CYBER BULLYING

For all those weaklings that are afraid to do or say anything face to facethat reallly need to get a grip on life looooooooool!

Like Youtube: The Cyberbully’s Playground hiding behind a computer screen and attacking any random virtual passer-by, just for acting-tough’s sake; voicing a violent and abusive point of view that NOBODY asked for !!! Who are you guys??

Like, for real man, whatttup?

FACEBOOK THE GLOSSY GOSSIP MAG!

I study Fashion promotion so I’ve learnt what types of magazine publicatons are being made and sold, the audiences and the reason for the content of the publication.

Types of magazines:

Periodicals, Glossies and Serials

Publishing schedules:

Weekly: OK magazine, Now magazine

Monthly: Dazed & Confused, I;D, Vogue

Bi Annualy: GQ, Fantastic Man.

Fashion glossy magazines are a place where, celebrity and pop culture merge. Discussing their business, what they wore last , advice about high street fashion that the readers can afford, which is a cheaper a or more affordable if you like, version of high fashion clothing ..so people who lack decent role models, can copy, ‘imitate’ and buy into, if you like the celebrity way of life, through a long list of materialistic options, which usually includes, spending, sexing, makeup, surgery, fashion, agony aunt’s advice on guys..and so on…or more specifically, a constant update of information to download into your mindsets, which creates increasingly lustful desires for things you cannot do, get, make, or afford! This will obviously keep the editors pockets full while you continue to buy into their pages of deceit, and become more and more conditioned into a way of life for you best suited by them…

What this online, 25/8 personally updated, glossy gossip mag about yourself and friends,does is create a faux celebrity-like mindset which rapidly lifts up and harshly drags people down from self-appointed virtual pedestalswhere they are worshipped by ‘friends’, ‘fans’ and ‘stalkers’ alike.

Think about it though – is there any distinctive difference? Except that you fill in all the nosey details for the world to see and applaud and, after a while, mock?

A lot of people who tend to be extremely insecure within themselves – (although everybody has their insecurties) – use a defense mechanism to make them feel better about themselves. Like picking at others faults in an attempt to minimize their own. Facebook only encourages this with the tagging of pics that show who’s been doing what and where, and what they were wearing when they were doing whatever they were doing wherever they were doing it!!

You’ll hear things like, ” OMG, did she really wear that with those shoes?” or ” Why on earth is he posing like that in that pic; hes such a weirdo!” and so on and on forth…

…creating a real life day to day, glossy gossip magazine tv advertisement experience…

Like these:

SURVEILLANCE/CCTV/A WORLDLY ORDER

Facebook has created a kind of Worldy order where everybody and anybody can be part of one whole virtual world where everybody is connected and exposed.

Facebook was launched in 2004 byMark Zuckerberg and so far Facebook has 500 + million users (figures dating from July 2010), so that’s like the whole of North America’s citizens.

Everything we put in gets saved onto a data base (even after we ‘delete’ it), that is why they ask you in the terms&conditons (that they know we never read) if you mind your details and the information you insert being used by 3rd parties before you accept things.

If you don’t know what a 3rd party is , it’s is often used to refer to a person or entity who is not one of two involved in some relationship. It may refer to.

Third-party developer, hardware or software developer not directly tied to the primary product that a consumer is using

Third-party software component, software which can be used in conjunction with some software or hardware but is not associated with either the manufacturer or the user .

So think about all the things you do and say on Facebook, all the people you tag in pictures and the pictures you’re tagged in. Read the apps before clicking confirm because they are usually the place where 3rd parties ask for your details in small print.

Remember that everything you put in Facebook is kept on the database even if you delete it , it has been inserted into their database so it can disappear from your wall if you want it to but will always remains with them.

They know exactly who you are and where you are because of everything you inserted innnocently in the beginning before you assumed anything.

So all you criminals looooooool don’t commit any crimes because as you’ve seen or must’ve seen before on the news they go into people profiles to catch criminals and expose this on the news and say things like ..“They wrote various abusive messages to X XY stating they were going to ‘catch’ them as others clicked ‘Like’ in response to this..many of whom responded were also arrested and taken in for questioning about the murder of XXY. Thats all from me Nisha Pillai on BBC News goodnight”

“Welcome to the greatest show on earth…FACEBOOK! Where liars tell more lies, losers are now “CEO”s, enemies are cloaked as friends, every sinner is a saint, weak people are cyber thugs, haters complain about haters, every relationship is loving & secure, when really they’re …lonely…& insecure!!! Step right up people, you can be whatever and whoever you wanna be!!!”

Think deeply about it don’t make any rash decisions, just be careful and think before you type or post of tag or use the site in general…

The Facebook movie will be out soon and will show the begininng of the idea and how it came about .

The western world as broken as it is at this point in present history, still remains as influential both subliminally and openly in many ways.

Third world or developing countries (to be politically correct), still long to achieve the level of social “civilisation” (as on would call it) and worldly power that the western countries built around themselves. Coming from a western upbringing and having a third world ethnological culture embedded into my system from birth, I fail to understand the common contradictions that arise, unaddressed but firmly opinionated from those that raised me with dual ethics.

The up bringers themselves come from a time when housewives were the norm, men were the only breadwinners, children spoke only when spoken to, racism was still legal and Mary Quant hadn’t yet invented the mini PVC shift dress that was yet to influence Vivienne Westwood’s mini crini!

As a 2nd generation immigrant of Nigerian ethnicity, you grow up hearing mothers scorning the Western influence on their daughters wardrobe, with statements such as, “It’ only in this country where girls walk around with belts as tops and tops that scarcely cover their breasts “. Comments such as the above were regularly dismissed as one of those things that Nigerian mums say (either through elderly age, arrogance or ignorance). I gradually grew inquisitive and questioned other friends of relatively similar backgrounds, whether they same across the same annoyance classified as a fact instead of an opinion.

They concluded with an agreement.

Pondering deeply about this, as I do, everything… in detail!

I happened to be lounging with my mother in our living room, watching, as I’m sure you would correctly guess (yeah right) a Nigeria film, as you do lol! In the film the young girls were taking part in a traditional town dance competition, judged by the town elders, (a bunch of elderly men grinning and tapping their walking sticks in aesthetic approval). The young girls ranged from as young and unformed as 13 to about as formed and full figured as 24, wore *clears throat of mucus for a full disclosure*… A TWO PEICE!

Ok that wasn’t worth the throat clear…

Obui’s Dictionary:

Two Piece; n ; A piece of cloth called Ankara tied around the bust, (like a boob tube but not a boob tube), and once again a piece of cloth tied around the waist just about covering the buttocks.

I hope you have a visual illustration in your imagination creative minds of this ‘two piece’. Please do. Now on top of that envision boobs and bums, full ones held up by theses two pieces, wobbling, shaking and arousing the elders!

I know right! Well I don’t know what your thinking but I’m thinking MAJOR contradiction!

In obvious shock after clear recognition of the semi nude scenes, I jolted out of the couch followed by an aggressive comeback to a long forgotten adjourned and unresolved (until this point) conclusion.

My mother obviously in complete shock and fuelled with absolute confusion glared at me with a vacancy in he eyes like that of a toddler.

“Mum, how come you used to cuss me for wearing shorter skirts, (*notice the use of the operative word shorter*) because I was born here (* the UK*) when those girls in the Nigerian film are wearing even shorter pieces of cloth! (*said in a rather sarcastic tone*). My mother in return jumped to her own defence although she knew and I could see in her eyes that she knew very well that I was right!

“No, no it’s not!”, yeah that’s what she replied, “They’ve copied it all from here, that’s not how they dress back home.”.

So I said, “Ok… even though this film is a depiction of lifestyles and cultures in Nigeria and it’s directed by a Nigerian?” she dismissed me and went back to her film.

As angry as this made me feel I came to the conclusion that fashion and presentation culturally is as beauty is, also in the eye of the beholder. I noticed that ones background and ethnological culture is always put on a pedal stool when in another mans land and or shunned by the emigrating resident.

When a migrant migrates, a new persona and mannerism is adopted in order to fit in and synchronize well enough to benefit and be beneficial in an unknown territory. All he or she really has to treasure is their original ethnicity/culture/national customs, which they cannot prominently expose due to the unfamiliar nature of it, which may confuse and deconstruct a culture/ethnicity/nationality that is already structured and in sync with itself.

This also made me think of the tiny urban habitat that immigrants are usually grouped into. Then comes the 2nd generations which have to endure confusion, due to dual nationalities and cultural crashes which actually cause you to think about the depths of the former, and how much they actually determine your wellbeing, your understanding of self and surroundings.

Then you get cultural congestion where worlds collide and are rejected, accepted deconstructed and reconstructed into a kind’ve patchwork heritage, much like the 2nd generation immigrant children, who have try to learn, accept and adapt to their parents backgrounds whilst going through he same in the country they were born and till this day live in.